


Subtlety 2: Beginnings

by wilwarindi



Series: Unfinished Tales of Pandora and the Borderlands [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Non-Graphic Smut, unfinished fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 09:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17743037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilwarindi/pseuds/wilwarindi
Summary: [[Part of my collection of unfinished fics.]]Brick and Mordecai thought they were being subtle about them sleeping together. They really, really weren’t.





	Subtlety 2: Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lassenby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lassenby/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** I haven't read or edited this fic in months and months. This is the beginning of the fic I tried to write around my short fic "[Subtlety](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11423058)", but ran out of steam. 
> 
> I'd say I could be persuaded to continue it, but my muse is a fickle creature so I won't promise anything.
> 
> Unbeta'd.

Fyrestone was a ghost town, to be honest, but they were stuck there until further notice. Lilith wasn't thrilled about it, given that there wasn't much on the means of basic services in Fyrestone besides a clinic and a gun shop, but she couldn't do much about it for now.

At least she had time and pace to try to figure Roland out - and he certainly was making it difficult: it was hard to know where his attempts at being respectful ended and his shyness began. Or so it seemed, and she was still trying to make sure it wasn't all some sort of ruse.

They came back from killing Nine Toes and headed straight for the houses they'd claimed and their own, covered in skag bile and blood. They had one available bathroom, and Lilith took the first turn to shower.

When she came out, dressed in slightly cleaner clothes and brushing her wet hair out of her face, she caught a bit of conversation from the end of the hall.

“You gonna stop stealing my kills?” Brick’s voice was a little annoyed.

Mordecai’s laughter rumbled. “Why should I?”

Lilith stopped in her tracks. Mordecai had barely said any words to her in the the few days they'd known each other - he was either in taciturn silence or complaining about something. He wasn't doing any of those things now.

“Maybe I can teach you how to aim, instead,” Mordecai added, and there was a grin in his voice but also…

There was a second of silence.

“What makes you think I can't aim?” Brick wondered.

“The way you keep waving that gun around, and then end up using your fists instead,” Mordecai said, even more amused.

 _Oh my God_ , Lilith thought. There wasn't anything too obvious, anything that couldn't be easily backtracked from, and yet there was such an obvious innuendo in his voice.

It was most likely going to go right over Brick’s head, though.

Brick snorted. “Maybe I'm just good at it.”

_… Wait._

Roland came out if his room and spotted her.

“Hey, is the bathroom available?” he asked.

Lilith cursed inwardly. Telling him to shut up now would be pointless; he'd been too loud and Mordecai and Brick had definitely heard him.

“Yeah, go right ahead,” she said.

Brick poked his head out of Mordecai’s room.

“Hey, I got second!” he complained.

“Too slow, Brick,” Lilith said.

“No, you go,” Roland gave in. “Sorry, I forgot.”

He was so damn polite, all the time. Lilith frowned, but didn't comment.

On the way to her room, Lilith saw Mordecai. He was sitting on his bed and seemed to have been cleaning his sniper rifle ( _Subtle_ , Lilith thought). But he wasn't wearing his goggles, and that was a first.

“Hey,” he said casually, his dark eyes barely stopping on her.

“Sup,” she said, giving him a brief, thoughtful look.

* * *

Lilith complained the whole trip back from Headstone Mine. She had hurt her ankle and Brick was carrying her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, barely even registering her weight.

“I think she'd shut up if _you_ carried her, Roland,” Mordecai suggested slyly.

“I'd shut up if Brick would put me the fuck down!” Lilith exclaimed.

“Sure, keep yelling and attracting more bandits.”

“Oh, yeah? Have Brick carry you over his shoulder and let's see how _you_ like it!” Lilith shot back, glaring at him.

Mordecai snorted. It took him a second too long to reply to that, but if Lilith hadn't caught part of their conversation last week, she wouldn't have noticed.

“I wouldn’t be yelling so much. But _I_ didn't twist my ankle like a dumbass, did I?”

Lilith narrowed her eyes.

“We're almost there,” Brick said.

When he finally, finally put her down, Roland was there to help her limp her way to the car. Lilith accepted with a huff, trying not to seem too eager.

* * *

Roland stayed with her while Doctor Zed took a look at her ankle, and Lilith tried to be cool about it. He had stayed of his own free will, though; she hadn’t _asked_ him to. And she certainly didn’t tell him to go away.

She leaned on him more than she actually needed to on their way back; but if he knew it, he didn’t say anything.

“As soon as you’re feeling better, we should be ready to leave Fyrestone,” Roland said.

“Finally,” Lilith said with a huff. “I’m sick of this town.”

Roland smiled. “Don’t say that in front of Zed. But yeah, me too.”

“Pfft, why? He must know this place has nothing going on for it.”

Roland stopped walking abruptly. Lilith looked at him with sudden nervousness, but his eyes were fixed straight ahead. She followed his gaze to the house they’d been staying at.

One of the bedroom lights was on, and it cast a silhouette against the closed blinds. Only, there was something odd about it. Lilith frowned, but still couldn’t figure what exactly was happening.

She turned her head slightly, trying to make sense of the strange figure when something rattled the blinds. Something, was pressed against them - a tall, thin body, judging by the shape on the bent blinds.

“Uh…” Roland muttered.

The silhouette shifted and shrank into what was undoubtedly Mordecai, when whoever was with him moved away from the window… or down to their knees, judging by the hands that came to press against the blinds.

“ _Oh_ ,” Lilith said, finally realizing what was happening. She hurriedly looked away, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up.

“Maybe we should leave,” Roland said, a little strangled.

They turned in different directions at first, then Roland followed her lead and helped her hobble away as quickly as she could.

After a minute, Lilith began laughing, a little hysterical. Roland joined in.

“ _Well_ ,” he said, and coughed. “That was… unexpected.”

Lilith’s laughter came louder. “Not really.”

“What?”

“They’ve been flirting for a while,” Lilith said.

Roland arched his eyebrows, a little incredulous - but he also looked reluctant to ask for clarification.

“I overheard a little of it the other day. It was… weird,” she told him.

“I bet.”

“I thought Brick wasn’t getting it at first, but -”

“Stop,” Roland cut her off, pleading.

Lilith burst out laughing again.

“Apparently, he’s not as dumb as I thought,” she amended eventually.

They were near the bounty board now. Roland helped Lilith sit down on an improvised bench built out of old tires and a couple wooden planks. He sat by her, still laughing faintly.

“Well, that’s not what I imagined would happen when we first got off the bus,” he said.

Lilith gave him a mischievous look. “Why, what did you think would happen?”

“I - Nothing. I didn’t _expect_ anything, I just -” Roland stammered, shifting a little. He cleared his throat. “Nothing. That’s why I’m surprised.”

Lilith threw her head back and laughed. “Smooth.”

Roland gave her a hesitant look and a hesitant smile. “Smooth isn’t my strong suit,” he admitted.

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Upfront is more my style,” Roland continued. He cradled her hand into one of his - careful and light. “Do you wanna go out for a drink, sometime?”

“How’s that upfront?” Lilith teased, and, emboldened by his question, she leaned in and kissed him.

* * *

Roland knocked softly on her door the next morning - or, enough hours afterwards that it could be considered the next morning, even if it was still pitch black outside.

“Lilith? Can I come in?”

Lilith quickly checked her clothes and her hair, and found everything in order.

“Yeah, c’mon in,” she said, gesturing with her hand even though he couldn’t see her yet.

Roland opened the door cautiously, and smiled when he saw her. Lilith’s heart did a little leap in her chest.

“Hey. I just came to check if you need help.”

Lilith snorted, loud. “Help with what? Everything I have is digistructed.” Roland shifted his weight, and Lilith regretted her harsh tone. “I mean, thank you. I’m ok.”

“Do you still need help getting around?” Roland offered.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Lilith said with sarcasm, crossing her arms.

She could practically see the conflict on Roland’s face, between his usual serious nature and teasing.

“In a way, yes,” he admitted, with an apologetic smile. “I don’t want you to be in pain, but I’m not gonna complain if I get to hold you a little more.”

Such a sappy line shouldn’t be so adorable, Lilith thought.

“If you want a hug, just ask,” she said. She stood right in front of him.

“How about a kiss?” Roland suggested.

Lilith rolled her eyes. “You can ask too, but after a while it’s gonna get annoying.”

Roland grinned, a little mischievous, and Lilith inwardly cursed his handsome face and the way it made her stomach fill with butterflies. He kissed her, soft and warm.

“Pff, finally,” Mordecai as he came down the stairs. “What took you guys so long?”

Lilith leaned back just enough to glare at him. “Mind your own business,” she snapped. Mordecai laughed and raised his hands. He continued in his way to the kitchen.

“Breakfast?” Roland suggested.

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

Lilith followed him to the kitchen. Brick was slumped in a chair, blinking blearily into a coffee mug.

“Hey,” he said and stifled a yawn. Lilith patted one of his broad shoulders and he smiled at her.

“So, we’re leaving this hell hole or what?” Mordecai asked from where he was leaning against the counter. He had his own coffee mug in hand.

“That’s the plan,” Roland replied mildly.

“Good. About time.” Mordecai pushed away from the counter. “I’m gonna go look for Blood.”

“What’s up with you?” Lilith asked Brick as Mordecai was leaving.

Brick yawned, loud and wide. “Didn’t get much sleep.”

Lilith and Roland exchanged a knowing look over Brick’s head, who was nodding off into his coffee again.

* * *

“Great, we’re stuck in the middle on nowhere again,” Mordecai grumbled.

They had made it as far as the Dahl Headlands before having their road obstructed by another bandit boss and his clan. They’d saved some guy called Lucky, but now they had a lot more things to do before they could continue on their way to New Haven.

“There’s a bounty board out there, at least,” Lilith said, just as irritated, pointing over her shoulder. “Easy money.”

They went to check it out together. Meanwhile, Roland negotiated with Lucky to get them a place to stay for the following days, until they killed Mad Mel. The fact that Brick was standing right behind him and scowling usually made negotiations easier.

The bounty board had several entries.

“Dibs,” Mordecai said, pointing at one about a revolver.

“All yours. Who even fights bandits with a revolver?” Lilith said with a snort.

“Not all of us can turn invisible,” Mordecai said, undeterred. “SMGs and shotguns only work up close; I like to keep my distance.”

Lilith snorted and opened her mouth to make a comment about how he hadn’t kept his distance from Brick last night, when Roland poked his head from inside the bar.

“Hey, we can stay here tonight.”

“How much?” Mordecai asked.

“Free. We did save his life,” Roland said.

Mordecai laughed. “And you and Brick eyeballing him had nothing to do with it.” He picked up the revolver mission from the bounty board and the info was loaded into his ECHO. “I got a revolver to scavenge. I’d invite you too, but I guess you’re gonna be too busy making kissy faces the whole time.”

“Hey!” Lilith barked.

“You could ask Brick,” Roland suggested. He was the picture of innocence.

“Nah, you know him, he’d only get stuck somewhere weird.” Mordecai strode off to the Catch-a-Ride station. “Don’t wait up.”

“You’re gonna be alright on your own?” Roland asked.

Mordecai ignored him and got in his newly digistructed runner. He took off without looking back.

Lilith and Roland exchanged a look.

“We don’t… make kissy faces, do we?” Lilith wondered.

Roland smiled. “If you have to ask.”

Lilith huffed. Roland approached her and kissed her. “I don’t think we do, but so what?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Inside the bar, Brick had ordered a drink and raised his bottle at them as greeting. Lucky gave them a hostile look from behind the bar.

“Hey! Drinks aren’t crap. Y’all want one?” Brick said.

Lilith shrugged. “Sure.”

“You’ll be paying for those,” Lucky grumbled.

“Of course,” Roland said mildly. Lucky made a skeptical sound, but his glare softened somewhat.

“Mordecai took off,” Lilith told Brick. “There’s a revolver to scavenge, according to the bounty board.”

Brick paused for a second. “Ok.”

He didn’t seem very interested, and Lilith wondered if maybe she’d read the situation wrong.

When Mordecai came back, almost an hour later, he was frowning. He dropped in a chair at the table they were at and let out a frustrated growl.

“Goddamn waypoint markers,” he said. “No one knows how to use them right.”

“What happened?” asked Lilith.

“Took me forever to find the pieces,” Mordecai said as he left a revolver on the table surface. “The damn waypoint markers were useless, I was just walking in circles. Couldn’t they just have said to look _up_?” He sighed. “At least this thing has good stats.”

“Maybe you could have used another pair of eyes,” Roland suggested.

Mordecai waved a hand. “What are you drinking?” he asked, and before anyone could answer he stole Brick’s bottle from in front of him and took a drink from it.

“Beer,” Brick said peevishly and took his bottle back. “Get your own.”

Mordecai smirked, unrepentant. He stood up and went to the bar. Lucky, who had been watching something on a TV behind the counter, looked at him with the air of a man that has been asked to do a monumental favor.

“What do you want?” Lucky asked.

“A beer.”

Lucky got up from his seat and fetched a beer bottle from a cooler. “Like I told your friends, you’re paying for these.”

Mordecai turned to look at the rest of them, then turned back to Lucky. “Sure.” Lucky uncapped the bottle and handed it over. “Hey, how you stay in business anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“This bar’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s Mad Mel. Who even comes here?”

Lucky looked at him, as if trying to decide if Mordecai was being serious. “What’s it to you?”

“I’m just wonderin’,” Mordecai said with a shrug. He smiled and leaned casually against the bar. “Maybe I wanna settle down after this, open my own bar. You never know.”

Brick snorted and only then Lilith noticed how closely he was watching them - watching Mordecai. Maybe she hadn’t misread the situation after all.

“Well, Fast Travel helps, when it’s working,” Lucky replied, crossing his arms. “All sorts end up here.”

Mordecai took a sip from his bottle and leaned a little closer. “All sorts?”

“Yeah. Maybe even the sorts who’d care for that look you’re giving me.” Lucky’s lip curled in distaste.

Mordecai laughed and pulled away from the bar. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he said. “I was just lookin’ around. It’s a nice place.”

He turned around and went back to the table. Lucky glared at him for a little longer, still looking disdainful, then went back to his show.

“Really? Him?” Lilith asked Mordecai, even as she kept her focus Brick out the corner of her eye.

Mordecai shrugged and sat down again. “I was just lookin’ around,” he said again, a grin pulling at his mouth. “It’s a nice place.”

“Ok, but you weren’t lookin’ around at the _bar_ ,” Lilith insisted.

Brick huffed to himself.

“Straight guys always think you’re hittin’ on them,” Mordecai said, leaning back on his chair. “I had the feeling he wasn’t gonna like it.”

“So, you’re not straight?” Lilith wondered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brick’s eyes quickly turn to her.

Mordecai snorted. “Nope. You?”

Lilith smiled. “Nope.”

She felt Roland’s and Brick's eyes on her, but she didn’t look back at them.

“Good,” Mordecai said, lifting his bottle. Lilith clinked her own bottle against it. Then he pointed a warning finger at Roland: “Don’t be an asshole about it.”

Roland blinked. “I haven’t said anything.” Mordecai gave him a look. “And what, assuming much?”

Brick cleared his throat. “Well, you know what they say about the token straight guy,” he said. “And it ain't me.”

Mordecai smiled into his bottle. Lilith raised her beer and Brick accepted the toast. Mordecai joined in with his own drink.

Roland sighed. “Why am I always the token guy?”

Mordecai laughed. “At least you’re not white.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you liked it.


End file.
